Indus Flotilla

The Indus Flotilla (sometimes the Indus Steam Flotilla) was formed in 1856 to provide "the navigation of the Indus, &c, by means of steamvessels [sic], between Kotree and Mooltan, to be worked in connexion with the railways. Capital - 250,000l. Rate of Interest Guaranteed - 5 per cent." 1

Characteristics

The Indus Flotilla provided the essential link between Kotree and Mooltan, and its promoters negotiated the same guaranteed rate of return as the original guaranteed railways. Early on, it merged with the Sind Railway and the Punjab Railway to form the Sind, Punjab and Delhi Railway.

Records

Refer to FIBIS Fact File #4: “Research sources for Indian Railways, 1845-1947” - available from the Fibis shop. This Fact File contains invaluable advice on 'Researching ancestors in the UK records of Indian Railways' with particular reference to the India Office Records (IOR) held at the British Library

An on-line search of the IOR records relating to this railway > gives 36 references. The most important being:-

• L /AG/46/17/14-18 “ Indus Steam Flotilla; 1858-1870” ( part of IOR/L/AG/46/17 “Records of the Scinde, Punjab, Delhi Railway Company 1855-1886”)

Further Information

See Sind, Punjab and Delhi Railway.

Notes

1 "Money Market and City Intelligence", The Times, Wednesday, 15 June 1859, #23333, 7a.

External Links

• The Indus Flotilla Company on All Things Pakistan, now an archived website